Tiles V Vinyl

[poppy]

I have a new IP in Brisbane currently being built.

When it's finished I will need to travel to Brisbane to complete it. Every extra day spent in Brisbane will cost me $$ in lost income, expenses and inconvenience. I aim to complete the IP in 2 weeks or less (allowing for a small number of minor issues which could be organised by the PM or tenant).

I think the norm in Brisbane is for living areas to be tiled. However, I think vinyl may be able to be layed more quickly - and I can get the same tradie who is laying the carpet to also be responsible for the vinyl - so less issues with trying to co-ordinate tradies who don't want to work together on the same day etc.

Last time I had vinyl laid it took extra time because the slab was "messy" and the vinyl/carpet layer had to clean it up. So assuming this will occur with the new place... will it still be much quicker and cheaper to have the vinyl V the tiles? The house is over 200m2, that is not including the garage, porch etc, so the living areas I guess would take some time to tile.

The other bonus of the vinyl is that vinyl can be depreciated quickly whereas the tiles are just part of the building. Tiles may cost a lot more than vinyl, I think.

Your opinions would be appreciated, considering the fact that I have limited time to complete the IP.

 

[Sheryn]

Poppy

My 2 cents worth..

For our next IP I am going to have vinyl laid as I have been unhappy with tiles in the living areas in last 2 projects.


Cheers
Sheryn

 

[kissfan]

Vinyl should be a fair bit cheaper as well.

It may not last as long as tiles before needing replacing, but that comes with the territory eh.

Regards
Marty

 

[ethereal]

I just had about 80m2 of floor tiles laid in a soon to be finished IP and it took 2 days and cost about $3700 all up. Can I ask why you were unhappy with the tiles in your previous projects? I personally prefer them over vinyl.

 

[marg4000]

Saw a new vinyl product on one of those home renovation shows on TV recently.

It was vinyl, but came in strips about 6" wide and looked like floorboards. Went down quickly and looked like a timber floor.

May be worth investigating - sorry, didn't catch the name.
Marg

 

[Ana]

I hope you don't mind me putting my 2 cents worth... While vinyl is cheaper and easier to depreciate, it also doesn't increase the value of the home as much as tiles do and if you go and try to sell your property, the vinyl will let you down as a lot of people really don't like it and will be put off by it. On average if you look at cost vs value add ratio for vinyl and tiles, vinyl is 1:1.3 and tiles 1:2.4.

I hope this helps. I wish you the best with your decision.

P.S. If you end up needing a tiler, drop me a line as I might be able to recommend someone.

Ana Stankovic

 

[Spectre]

I prefer tiles

Logic being that they are heartier - might be cheaper upfront for vinyl but cost you long term if you have to get it ripped up and new sheets before you sell (if).

 

[lura]

My 2 bob

I have seen a lot of investment properties built over the years. There is more of a trend towards tiles in the new builds. Reasons are asthetics and durability.

Vinyl products have improved dramatically over the years but in tenanted properties - they don't wear very well. Houses with young children and pens/texta - these marks do not come off. Scuffs from general living - some shoes leave black marks - tedious to keep clean. When tenants move in move out - there are always issues with heavy whitegoods - especially fridges and washing machines. These items also contribute to rust mark transfers and dents/impressions - not appealing when the next tenants have smaller fridges/machines that expose the preivous dents/marks. Tables and chairs in dining areas also contribute toward dents and scratches simply from being used.

As a renovator also, vinly is not much cheaper and if you are not going to live there - you need to consider the types of flooring your IP will be competing with. From my experience, all the builders I know no longer offer vinyl flooring. It may seem more convenient to put in vinyl now but a little time invested now to tile will save a lot of time in the future - replacing the worn vinyl between tenancies (Remember cost of goods and labour continue to increase so it will never be cheaper than now to invest in labour). Choose tiles that are not light in colour - temptation is to make the house look larger but inactual fact it shows up the dirt more. Not too trendy - because they will date quicker. Keep it neutral.

 

[gerd.]

Regardless of material used order extra for future maintenance.

Gerd

 

[Sheryn]

I just had about 80m2 of floor tiles laid in a soon to be finished IP and it took 2 days and cost about $3700 all up. Can I ask why you were unhappy with the tiles in your previous projects? I personally prefer them over vinyl.

1. Red dirt changes the colour of the grout and
2. Never seem to get the colour of the tiles right (figure I can pullout a roll of vinyl and look at it)
3. Lots of hard work when you wish to change/renovate floor tiles to modernise inside of house
4. We had vinyl many years ago in a house I even put it in the laundry and another builder brought the house of us when we sold.

I may also look at the flooring they use in hospitals as that is hard wearing and quickly installed.

One thing I didn't mention is that everything I build, I build with the thought would I be happy living here.

In the holidays I plan to visit a friend who has vinyl that looks like floorboards - so I wish to see how it has faired over 5 years.


Cheers
Sheryn

 

[ethereal]

I have an IP with that vinyl floorboard stuff. It was already there when we bought, is about 5-6 years old now and still looks very nice.

If red dirt on the grout is an issue, what about using a dark coloured grout, or even a redish/brown coloured one. It would probably look good with a terracota toned tile and would match the dirt! Problem solved.

Louise

 

[lura]

1. Red dirt changes the colour of the grout and
2. Never seem to get the colour of the tiles right (figure I can pullout a roll of vinyl and look at it)
3. Lots of hard work when you wish to change/renovate floor tiles to modernise inside of house
4. We had vinyl many years ago in a house I even put it in the laundry and another builder brought the house of us when we sold.

I may also look at the flooring they use in hospitals as that is hard wearing and quickly installed.

One thing I didn't mention is that everything I build, I build with the thought would I be happy living here.

In the holidays I plan to visit a friend who has vinyl that looks like floorboards - so I wish to see how it has faired over 5 years.


Cheers
Sheryn

The vinyl products have definitely improved, the commercial grade vinyls used in high traffic areas of hospitals and offices are not cost effective for residential properties - they too have the same issues of dating if the wrong colours/designs are chosen.

Red dirt on grout - if you live in a red soil area - have your grout sealed when it is new. If it not possible - have the tiles clean then seal the grout. If a clear seal doesn't do the job - there are products out on the market at the moment called Colour Seal - and you can choose any colour of the product palette to cover light or dark existing grout. This is a great way to freshen up dated tiles.

I agree, it is hard work to rip up old tiles to retile - I did it in the dining/kitchen area of current project - but worth it because the existing tiles were in poor taste and very dated. However, in future, unless the tiles themselves are vulgar, I will just be colour sealing it in a tone that I want to compliment the wall colours (base is always Whisper White - then I have feature wall colours - gives so much more flexibility).

When we buy/renovate, it's nice to think I would like to live there but the reality is - no I wouldn't. As long as it makes financial sense at the time.

 

[IndexFund]

IMO vinyl is cheap and nasty. Lowers the value of the house.

Vinyl on cement...

 

[Raddles]

HI there
whilst tiles look nice I actually prefer vinyl where we are because it is warmer.

Was actually looking at a product called Marmoleum which is made by oxidising linseed oil and then mixing it with rosins, wood flour and limestone and adding pigments for colour. It was on display at the local sustainable housing display and looks quite good.

The product is available from Andersons carpets and is good for those suffering asthma or allergies and has natural bacteria-fighting properties. Just my 2c worth
thanks

 

[karina]

I prefer tiles, for me it makes sense to spend the money once. It also looks nicer and adds value to the property. I had a quote for vinyl that came in at around $1900, I went for the tiles , fully laid cost around $3300.00 , 100% improvement on the vinyl that was there previously.

 

[Gatoblanco]

Can you paint over floor tiles?

However, in future, unless the tiles themselves are vulgar, I will just be colour sealing it in a tone that I want to compliment the wall colours

So do you paint over the tiles too? I understand that you can get paint for the grout but is it possible to paint OVER the tiles if they are dated?
I have a bathroom with ugly tiles. I would like to paint over them white if that is an option.

 

[craig73]

I think that tiles are more popular in Brisbane than vinyl. We paid $22 sq.m for our tiles on a sale at 'Uptiles'.

If you decide to go with tiles I can give you the details of the tiler that did our place at D'bay - it was the same tiler our builder used for the wet areas.

He did a really neat job and took 2 days to do about 70 sq.m. We tried getting quotes from other tilers but they couldn't do the work for at least a month. He was available within a week but we may have just been lucky with the timing.

He charged us $30 sq.m with skirting flush on slab which required silcone to the edges. If skirting had been raised he said $27 sq.m. We used the same floor tile throughout and he made sure to perfectly match the joint lines between the wet areas and the living areas which was great. Meaning the tiling of the laundry, toilet, bathroom were done on the same grid so that the hall could be matched in perfectly.

He was a nice guy but good luck understanding a word he says. When he called me to meet him at the house to confirm the feature tiles in the bathrooms, I thought he was a telemarketer. It went something like: "Hello, this is the tiler man" - and I said "What?, you're from Thailand?...". Luckily when we contacted him to do the tiling after the build, all communication was done through his wife. She has a strong accent but I could understand her. I think I have some pics that might show the tiling if you're interested.

Also the guy that did our landscaping was pretty good. He did the driveway (exposed agg.), turf, basic gardens (mulch & native shrubs), clothesline, mail box, gates both sides (fencing to sides & rear already there) for about $9,000. Don't get stuck on the phone with him though, especially long distance, as he can talk forever - about anything. I think he might have a little 'ADD' and I found I had to redirect focus to the work often, but he got it done with an acceptable standard and I thought the price was good. I can give you his details too if you like. He was a little unreliable time wise though and it took him a few weeks to get it all done. He offers one free mow of the lawn after laying turf and I vaguely remember that he waters it for a period too. Watering wasn't much of an issue for us as we had quite a bit of rain at the right time.

Cheers, Craig.

 

[poppy]

Thanks craig.

$9000 sounds like a great price for all that landscaping. I'll PM you if I need his details - I was hoping for someone to get the job done quicker but I'll see how I go.

I'd be interested to see some pictures of your place.

 

[Celeste]

Hi all

I have been looking at the vinyl lately, I think its great. My inlaws had the wood floor look one put down and I ran the beading around for them and it looks great.

I have some in one of my IP's it was already there when I purchased it. It did have some rips and stains on it. So, I pulled it up in the bedrooms and layed carpet. Then I got the carpet layer to glue down the bits around the edges that were lifting and cut / patch (from the bedroom pieces) the ripped / stained areas. You would never know that it has been patched. the cost for the repairs $100

I have stored the rest for any new repairs. I think it's perfect for an IP.

My 2c anyway. It comes it great colours and styles these day..